


The Gifts We Find

by gemsofformenos



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, Searching for a gift, Two women being badass, Unexpected rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:26:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28131633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemsofformenos/pseuds/gemsofformenos
Summary: Suki and Ty Lee are searching for a special gift for Mai to help Zuko to reconnect with his former girlfriend when both stumble into a fishy sitation at the docks...
Relationships: June/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Kudos: 1





	The Gifts We Find

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fanwright](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanwright/gifts).



> This one is a birthday gift and a big thank you to Fanwright. June/Ty Lee are a pairing you like and I hope you enjoy this little one. Suki and Ty Lee are in their mid twenties here.

It was a beautiful summer evening at the harbor of Caldera City. The sun was getting nearer the horizon painting the sky in bright warm colors of orange and red while the water was glowing like molten iron so the open sea looked like an ocean made of lava. The heat of the day was less present at the food and shopping line of the harbor where the fresh breeze was easing the humid hotness of the day mixing a salty tasing spray into the heavy combination of tastes and smells of landed fish and seafood, cooked meals, countless spices and fragrances which came out of the shops, restaurants and cooking stalls. The market street of the harbor was a bit uphill in some distance from the docks and storage houses but close enough to the sea that the wind was able to carry the cooling breeze and the hints of the salty spray towards the long streets filled with shops and stalls. Ty Lee loved these days for shopping and normally she’d take her time to watch and take in all these sensations but today she and Suki were on a different mission out here and so far they haven’t been successful. The Captain was scanning the surrounding pensively and her frustration was obvious. She stopped at a fancy looking armory shop and browsed through the presented swords and knifes for a brief moment but the frustrated groan was the prove that she hasn’t found what she was looking for.

“I fear we’ll never find a perfect gift for Mai. Not at this city.”

Ty Lee gifted her friend a little hug but the pout of the Captain was starting to gnaw at her mood a bit. They were checking the weapon shops of the city since hours and so far they haven’t found what they were looking for.

“Don’t give up Suki. I’m sure we’ll find a good one. Or we can order something from the blacksmiths of Kyoshi Island.”

Ty Lee’s tries to comfort Suki managed to bring a little smile on the warrior’s lips but a sad one.

“But this will take weeks and we don’t have the time to wait for some special crafted knifes from Kyoshi Island. Zuko has made his move and will meet her tomorrow. He’ll need a perfect gift until tomorrow!”

Another groan escaped Suki’s mouth and she walked over to the corner of the nearest shop to lean herself against the wall. The Captain started to stare through a small passage towards the docks and the sea. Ty Lee’s face fell a bit at the dark aura of her friend. Suki has started to chew a bit on her bottom lip.

“It was me who has told Mai about Zuko’s visits at Ozai. I thought she could help him to handle this conflict but I miscalculated badly. It was my fault that Mai broke up with Zuko. I want to help to fix this.”

Suki kicked at the wall with another groan and turned her face to the sky.

“Why in Kyoshi’s name hasn’t he talked about his plan. I would have helped. We would have more time to search for a perfect present. Why…”

She faced Ty Lee’s worried face and a bitter laughter escaped her throat.

“I know Ty. Because I have messed it up once so he doesn’t want my help in this case and…”

She was cut of by a comforting hug of her friend. Ty Lee was shaking her head heavily.

“I don’t think this is the reason Suki. I think he wants to fix this on his own because he blames himself for the break up not you so he wants to set it right again.”

The Captain looked thankful as Ty Lee released her out of the hug but the frustrated shine in her eyes remained. Ty Lee’s look followed Suki’s down the small passage and suddenly a beaming smile came to the face of the agile warrior.

“Well we do have one last chance. Rumors said that there is nothing you can’t get at the docks of Caldera City.”

Suki frowned at her friend while Ty Lee started to frown in concentration tapping with her finger at her cheek.

“Maybe we have to ask some persons where we can find the good stuff but hey…”

The beaming smile returned as she pulled the Captain at her side.

“Who can say no to two nice young ladies?”

* * *

  
The sun has left the sky and the moon started to climb horizon to take its route within the ocean of stars and Suki and Ty Lee were still searching for the perfect gift. The swizzling heat was finally gone but it was still warm and the stones of the street were radiating the warmth the daylight’s kiss has left. But at least they may have found a trace about a merchant who seemed to be known for selling fine crafted tools for any job and now they were on their way towards one of the bars at the docks. To get these information both had to fight off some shameless offers, too close contacts and searching hands and in Suki’s case an shockingly honest proposal from an big and bulky middle age dockworker the Captain has ass-kicked under the baffled looks of his friends for not leaving his hands off from her.

The bar they were heading for was at the outer docks. The little building seemed to duck away under the bigger storage houses which surrounded the building but the warm light which was shining out of the windows and the music an laughter within seemed to push against the dark and quiet constructions which seemed to hench over the older wooden structure which was standing its ground against the others. Suki was correcting her outfit and sighed a bit.

“Alright this is the last chance. I’m tried off delivering smacks and warnings for leaving hands away from my hips.”

Suki raised an eyebrow as she noticed the little smirk of Ty Lee who gifted her friend a little shove.

“Obviously you seem to get the most attention tonight. And the proposal was actually kind of cute…”

The deadly glare of Suki elicited a hearty snicker from Ty Lee. The Captain sighed annoyed but a little smile rushed around her lips. Sure Ty Lee had dealt with a fair amount of unwanted attention as well but Suki and her more demanding manner and her choice to draw a red line much harsher and less flirty and polite like Ty Lee has awoken much more interest at the men they’ve met so far and obviously the former acrobat has enjoyed to watch the men learning their lessons from Suki. Suki on the other hand has been impressed how easily Ty Lee was able to switch into this flirty mode offering the men just enough to make them talkative and helpful but always finding a smooth way out of the situation with a smile or a wink which would let the target of her scheme left with a goofy grin without anything really has been promised of given by her. The former acrobat seemed to enjoy this dance on the rope and so far she proved herself once more as an expert who was able to read her opponents as an open book in this case.

“The man could be lucky that Sokka wasn’t around. We may not be a couple anymore but I’m still sure he’d have crack some ribs of this man.”

Ty Lee laughed again and shook her head.

“Yeah you’ve been a picture of equanimity. You only cracked his nose.”

Both women were about to reach the front door of the bar as a threatening growl followed by an painful howl caught their attention. The noise came from down the docks. Suki and Ty Lee shared a brief look followed by a simultaneous nod and both started to rush after the noise. They passed some dark alleys between some warehouses and storage buildings until they reached a dead end. A group of six men all firebender it seemed have circled a big snarling creature. The men wore thick black leather armors which seemed to protect them from the lashing tongue of the animal. One of them blasted a fireball at the beast which jumped backwards with a yelp.

“Careful idiot! We’ll get nothing if we kill this beast!”

The creature was panting heavily and blood was wetting its flank. The little tendrils at the snout of the animal were wiggling constantly. Ty Lee suppressed a little gasp as she pointed at one of the men who was carrying a metallic vessel. Smoke emerged out of it and the biting smell of herbs was hanging strong within the air. It obviously seemed to confuse the creature.

“You… don’t dare to touch her! Don’t…”

The man who has scolded with one of his comrades kicked at a person who was laying on the ground. The dark-haired woman released a painful huff as the foot met her ribcage. Her hands were bound on her back and blood covered her face seeping out of an cut above her left eye.

“Your price isn’t linked with your current status. You’re just a bonus payment for our mission.”

The man turned back to his group which were still keeping the growling and lashing beast within the dead end.

“Get the net ready and the sedation. As soon as we got the shirshu we can pack up both.”

Ty Lee looked a Suki and the Captain’s face showed determination. She was about to storm the street as Ty Lee got a grip at her shoulder. The former acrobat shook her head and smirked at the confused face of her friend She mouthed her short explanation in silence.

Just follow my lead.

And suddenly Ty Lee seemed to lose any tension and clear control of her steps. A childish giggle escaped her mouth as she started to stumble within the street. Suki instantly got her idea and the alarmed but confused men which were turning towards her friend instantly proved the plan of the acrobat to be perfect and so she followed her friend with an loud and hearty laughter faking to tip over some stones of the street and bumping into Ty Lee which was causing another laughter of the young woman. The man were still staring in confusion as Ty Lee suddenly stopped to point at the growling shirshu with big puppy eyes.

“WOOOHA! Look! It’s… cuuute!”

Suki couldn’t suppress a hearty laughter. Luckily it was suiting their acting cause Ty Lee’s slurring voice was just too funny. Her friend shambled forward dragging Suki along until both bumped against two men which were blocking their way.

“Whops… Sorry cutie…. Ish… Is this your furry friend? It looksh… so… fluffy…”

Ty Lee tried again to get to the animal but got pushed back. Suki noticed how her friend used the impulse to stumble into the man with the smoking jar. The former acrobat faked to topple and caught herself at the very last moment at the arm of the man which cased the vessel to fall and to jump open. Suki started the giggliest laughter she could muster and let herself fall against two other men which have readied a big net to trap the creature. A curse of the man who seemed to have the lead of this group let both women swing their heads with some drunken looking smiles towards the foaming leader.

“Get these drunken sluts out of my sight.”

Suki’s eyes found Ty Lee’s and the sudden spark in the acrobat’s eyes was the final prove the Captain was searching for. The Captain noticed her friend getting ready to stirke as she leaned herself against the man again who tried to pick up the vessel again. Her grip tightened around his shoulders and maybe it was the moment where this one has noticed the mistake of his leader but it was too late. Ty Lee rolled herself over the shoulders of the bowing man using the momentum of her movement to rip him off his feet throwing him towards the shirshu. The former acrobat kicked the hot vessel towards the leader who tried to cover his face before the glowing pieces and sparks which emerged out of the object but he collapsed to the ground before he was able to get ready to strike back cause Ty Lee’s skillful jabs hit his chi point with deadly precision where his armor was left open to allow the man to move. Suki has used the confusion to get the two men with the net off their feet by striking at the backsides of their knees. They didn’t got the chance to get up again as the Captain hit them with hard strikes. The cracking sound as her fist hit the masks of the men brought a satisfied smirk to the woman’s lips. The remaining two opponents finally stomached the initial shock but instead of trying to face these two woman they tried to run but this was the signal for the shirshu to jump forward. The creature has dealt with the poor one who Ty Lee’s initial strike has brought him too close to the fangs and claws of the animal. It has managed to get off some parts of the armor quickly, shredding parts of it under the screams of the man and so its tongue finally found unprotected flesh to paralyze him. The wound at the flank seemed to limit its jumps a bit but it was still fast enough to reach the fleeing men in to leaps. One man turned around to burn the creature with an fireball but Ty Lee acted faster. She has started to rush after them instantly and so she managed to lance a strike against the arm of the man so the ball missed his target. Another skillful jab and his arm hung limp beside him and with a few more jabs he found himself paralyzed like his leader. The shirshu brought the other one down at the moment he tried to help his comrade. The weight of the animal on his chest pressed the air out of his lungs and the threatening snarl outlined by the impressive line of sharp teeth ended any resistance at one. The animal jerked at a sudden touch at its side and the snarls turned to a dangerous growl but the former acrobat didn’t wince back only checking the wounded flank.

“It’s okay little one. Don’t worry I’m not hurting you. I just want to look at this cut here.”

Her soothing voice let the shirshu stop groling instantly. The creature started to sniff at Ty Lee and the warrior dared to stroke the head of the animal carefully. A pleasant deep sound, something between a growl and a purr escaped the throat of the creature which casted a smile on Ty Lee’s face.

“She likes you.”

Ty Lee turned around and her eyes found the dark-haired woman leaning on Suki who has freed her from the bindings. She has cleaned her face as best as possible from the blood and was pressing a piece of fabric at the cut above her eyebrow.

“Normally Nyla is very picky with people.”

The woman shambled over to her shirshu and gave the creature a little kiss. She turned back to Ty Lee and a thankful smile found a way to her red lips.

“Your Captain told me this has been your plan to trick these men.”

Ty Lee’s eyes jumped wide in surprise and also Suki gasped a little. The woman chuckled a bit in response.

“My name is June. I’m a bounty hunter and to know some important faces is part of the job so I recognized the Captain Suki of the Kyoshi warriors and so I was sure she’d be in company with a skilled fighter as well and my assumption was right as it seems.”

She got closer to Ty Lee and her smile turned into a playful one. The former acrobat noticed the fluttering feeling in her tummy as the woman got closer.

“But so far I have no name to this pretty face and I’d love to know who I do owe my rescue and the rescue of my shirshu.”

The warrior couldn’t stop her cheeks from flushing a bit and the slight snicker from the woman in front of her didn’t do anything to ease this situation.

“I’m Ty Lee.”

A little spark seemed to light up in the bounty hunter’s eyes and she got closer to Ty Lee until she hugged her while resting her head on the woman’s shoulder. The former acrobat noticed her heart beating fast and wild in her chest. She could feel the warm breath of June at her ear.

“Well thank you for my rescue… Ty Lee.”

Her words were like warm silk and she brushed a little kiss on the warrior’s cheek as she released her out of the hug. The former acrobat couldn’t suppress a little shudder and she noticed the little smirk of Suki out of the corner of her eyes. June’s smile was warm and slightly triumphant but even beside some rests of blood and dirt on the bounty hunter’s face both warriors noticed a little flush on her cheeks as well. June turned back to Nyla and started to check the wound of her animal. She cursed as she noticed how deep the cut seemed to be and kicked at the slightly whimpering man who was still pinned down by the shirshu. It brought Ty Lee back to reality.

“Well we can offer you and your shirshu some treatment at the Palace.”

The expression on June’s face was unreadable but she seemed to roll the idea in her mind for a moment until she shook her head with a thankful smile.

“No thank you. I already owe you two a lot and I don’t plan to increase the debts. I’ll take care of her.”

Ty Lee’s face fell visibly and Suki noticed the little shadow which seemed to rush over the face of the bounty hunter for a second. She cleared her throat to get both women’s attention.

“We can offer a master waterbending healer to treat you and your shirshu. Are you sure you want to skip this offer?”

Ty Lee mouthed a Thank You towards Suki with a smile but she turned back to June who took a second look at the deep cut at Nyla’s flank. Finally she sighed a bit and she bowed before the Captain.

“Well in that case I’d be an idiot to reject such an offer. Thank you for your help. But I do have one question.”

Her face got serious as she straightened up again. Suki and Ty Lee shared some confused looks.

“Why are the Captain of the Kyoshi Warriors, personal guard of Fire Lord Zuko and one of her warriors walking around the docks incognito and late at night. This areal doesn’t have the best reputation and I’m sure both of you are well aware of this fact.”

Suki’s face fell at the question and so it was Ty Lee who answered with a sad voice.

“We were searching for a special gift for a friend. Throwing knifes but not the quality to find at normal stores. We were looking for something special.”

June raised an eyebrow and her jaw dropped slightly for a moment but she composed herself quickly with a snicker.

“You could have ordered such equipment easily I think. The blacksmiths of the Royal Army, of the Earthkingdom or Kyoshi Island. The options are countless beside…”

A malicious smile grew on her face.

“Oh I see. Time seemed to be a vital factor. Well maybe I can help you in this case.”

June ignored the confused looks of Suki and Ty Lee while she kneeled down beside the still whimpering man on the ground. The bounty hunter checked the boots of the man and a victorious smile found its way to her red lips. She took one object from each boot of the man and walked over to show Suki the objects. It were two fine crafted knifes suitable for throwing and close combat fights. Suki took both and checked the steel pensively. The blackened metal showed a fine carving of a dragon on the blade and some quick and skillful moves with the knifes proved the Captain that these were exactly the quality they’ve searched for. June’s smile was dangerous.

“You have to disarm these men anyway before they get arrested. Let’s just call it a first payment to ease some of my debts.”

Suki released a hearty laughter and turned to Ty Lee. She handed her the two knifes with a smirk.

“I’ll get some policemen down here to collect these men. I’m sure you and June will have no trouble to bind and disarm these men without my supervision. I’ll be back soon.”

She gave Ty Lee a knowing wink smirked at June’s snicker while she left the two women behind. Ty Lee was about to walk to the last man she has paralyzed with her chi-blocking when she felt a finger running along her back from shoulder to shoulder and then further down her side following her curves. Her breath hitched a bit as she noticed June’s hot breath at her rear again as the bounty hunter started to whisper.

“We may have some time left when we’ve bound up these idiots. I hope you’ll find a creative way to kill this time.”

She nibbled a bit at Ty Lee’s earlobe and swayed her hips a bit while starting to walk to wards the paralyzed leader of the group. She gifted a gulping Ty Lee a seductive smile over her shoulder.

“But I’m sure you’ll have no problem with this task.”

She turned back with a little wink and Ty Lee felt her cheeks blushing heavily. June stretched herself in a most luxurious way as she reached the man.

“And since I’ll stay this night I might find some creative ways as well to… show my gratitude.”

The warm snicker of the bounty hunter was like dipping honey and Ty Lee noticed her hands shaking slightly as she started to help June to disarm and bind the men.

Suki’s smile was impish as she noticed the flushed cheeks and swollen lips of the women as she returned with some soldiers and policemen. She could see Ty Lee’s ears taking a deep read color at her knowing smile. Seems like Ty Lee has found some welcomed attention this night.


End file.
